FRENCH FRIDAY WITH DORIE: PARIS MUSHROOM SOUP

READY FOR TASTING:  NOT YOUR TRADITIONAL MUSHROOM SOUP

Soup is a favorite food in our family.  It is the food of choice for my two daughters adopted from a Moldovan orphanage, and another daughter also prefers soup over all other foods.  Because this has been an exceptionally cold week here in Arizona, a new soup sounded especially inviting.  Soup is one of those foods that can be tweeked to satisfy personal preferences by adding extra veges, spices, or fillers.  But I was not my usual adventurous self as I stuck closely to Dorie’s recipe.  With all the soups made in our house, mushroom is not a usual homemade variety, making this assignment an unusual one for me.

ONIONS & GARLIC SAUTEED IN A LITTLE BUTTER

I was quite surprised by the scrumptious flavor this smooth soup ladled over a mushroom salad and garnished with a dollop of creme fraiche.  I was expecting a flavor and texture something more like Campbell’s creamy mushroom soup, but it was nothing at all like this canned American standard that gets used by the zillions in traditional holiday casseroles and sauces.  Thank you Dorie for something so much better!  

SLICED AND READY FOR THE SOUP

MUSHROOMS ADDED TO ONION MIXTURE

BROTH & HERBS ADDED TO CREATE THE SOUP

When they discovered what I was cooking for dinner, several family members were either dreading the thoughts of mushroom soup (just thinking about that canned stuff) or they dislike mushrooms so much that they planned to say “no thanks” to this dish.  But..the aroma of this soup simmering on the stove was irresistible, and to their delight, it tasted nothing like they thought it would.  In fact, the flavor was not predominantly mushroomy.  They mostly tasted the herbs in the “salad” and everyone pronounced the meal to be “Good!”.   Personally, I do love mushrooms, and I was excited to make this soup, but I also agreed that it did not have a traditional mushroom flavor.  All the flavors melded together creating a richly flavored soup with contrasting textures created by the pureed soup and the raw vegetable salad. 

THE PUREED SOUP

The soup was easy to prepare, cooking time was about 30 minutes total. (Yea!...I love having more time to enjoy my new grandbaby as well as other family... My Northern Idaho kids arrived with their 10 day old new baby on Christmas Eve and will be here for another week.  Christmas with a new baby in the house is such a precious gift...I could not have dreamed up a nicer one!)  While the soup cooked I divided the extra sliced mushrooms, scallions, chives, and minced parsley in the bottom of our soup bowls, and then  ladled the hot soup over this salad which rested for a minute allowing the salad vegetables and herbs time to soften, and then our bowls were topped with a little creme fraiche.

THE SALAD

This liquidy soup would be a great meal starter or comforting as an accompaniment for a sandwich.  I have discovered another Dorie recipe for my permanent cooking file.  It is a pleasure to try new ideas and to enjoy new cooking experiences.  This mushroom soup is a winner!

So, you all want to see my new grandbaby.  Well, OK.  He is just 3 weeks old, is such a good baby, and is so loved by all our family!!!!!  (I''m holding Miles while I type all this up with one hand...it's worth every extra minute it takes!)

BABY MILES IS 3 WEEKS OLD AND PRECIOUS!